Thursday, July 17, 2008

Today's Bizarro is brought to you by the Bizarro from 6-02-08 and a comment left by someone calling his/herself "julie."

This cartoon was inspired by a cartoon I posted in June about plastic surgery. In the comments section, a regular reader of this blog suggested the idea. I drew it up immediately and submitted it. I'm not too proud to accept a good idea when offered.

This cartoon's concept also grew from a comment from another reader, "ging," who sent me a link to an actual children's bookabout this very subject of helping children deal with their mother's new look. When I first saw the cover, I actually blacked out and lost control of my bowels for a moment. When I came to, I begged the gods to kill me, to no avail. My cats wouldn't oblige me either, thus I lived to blog another day.

Since you're my best friends in the whole wide world and I consider you family, I won't candy-coat it: The selfish, shallow, arrogant nature of our species turns my stomach. At the same time, I fully realize that all species are selfish by evolutionary design, it is part of how we live long enough to reproduce. But our species has achieved a type of intelligence that allows us to far overreach ourselves and torture and destroy the other inhabitants of the earth, and ourselves, with our arrogance. That same intelligence can be used to resist the temptation to enslave or kill others for our own pleasure.

I'm not saying plastic surgery will destroy the world, of course (unless Michael Jackson is your world), but it's the tip of an iceberg of symptoms. Many live animals suffer immensely as techniques to improve human beauty are practiced on them. At Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY, there is a pig named Charlie who has huge lumpy scars all over his body from such practice. Carved up by day, imprisoned at night, so mommy can be more beautiful.I'd like to see a children's book about that.

Great post, Dan. Humans are animals, no better, no worse. To quote Troy McClure, "If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about." We're just more powerful and clever in the problem-solving and tool-use department, unfortunately. Though I'd like to see a human do THIS:

that last cartoon reminds me of happy tree friends. i'm against humans doing harm to other animals because we know better, but cartoon animals doing harm to each other and themselves with chainsaws and shards of glass is hilarious. go to happytreefriends.com to check it out if you don't know what i'm talking about. peace